MRG Chapter 27: A Conflict Breaks Out

Translator: Kii

Editor: Agneya

“General, what’s wrong? Do you have any questions about his resume?” The officer looked at Light, who was browsing through the file repeatedly with his brows furrowed tightly, so he couldn’t help but ask.

Light raised his eyes, the deep amber-colored pupils didn’t betray any emotion.

“I. Have. No. Questions.”

He practically squeezed the words out from between his teeth.

After saying so, Light handed the file back to the officer and walked toward the podium in front of him, his eyes still fixated on the person in the ring until he was out of sight.

The school had invited the general of the Mecha Corps, who was also the mecha pilot with the highest kill record in the empire. This was undoubtedly a very exciting event for the freshmen, except for a few individuals.

Due to being ranked first overall, the military instructor arranged for Mu Chen to sit in the first row, right in front of the podium.

—Strictly speaking, it was a seat under Light’s nose.

The two pretty much didn’t have to do anything allowing their eyes to meet naturally.

At this moment, Mu Chen sat below the podium, wearing a loose sports jacket over a black t-shirt. The zipper was pulled all the way up to just above his neck, with the tip of his chin tucked into the loose collar. A few stray bangs fell across the sides of his face, framing his fair and handsome features. He looked just like an obedient child who would follow whatever the teacher said without question.

If Light hadn’t just witnessed what Mu Chen looked like on the ring with his own eyes, he would have almost believed it.

The freshmen orientation was over, and the freshmen who had passed the assessment left in an orderly manner under guidance of the instructors, but Light stopped Mu Chen.

The instructor at the side froze for a moment when he saw this. Seeing that the general wasn’t in a very good mood, he assumed that he had some grudge against the freshmen.

It was Lieutenant Levi who kindly explained to him, “This is the general’s little brother.”

“Oh…” The instructor belatedly reacted. Since it was Prince Light’s family matter, it was inappropriate for them to interfere.

Several people immediately tactfully left the indoor arena, leaving the space for the two.

Creak!—the heavy mechanical door slowly closed.

Mu Chen walked up to Light. “Gege…”

“Why did you hide that you applied to join a military academy?”

Light directly interrupted him, revealing some confusion between his tightly furrowed brows.

Mu Chen lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. “Then if I told Gege, would Gege agree?”

The atmosphere inside turned quiet.

After a while, Light reluctantly squeezed out two words with a stiff tone—

“I wouldn’t.”

Mu Chen, “Why doesn’t Gege agree?”

Why…

Light’s slightly drooping eyelashes concealed the worry in his eyes.

During those years on the front lines, he witnessed far too many separations and deaths. Comrades who had enlisted together with him—some were laughing and talking about their future lives one day, only to be reduced to unrecognizable remains in the next days’ bombardment. Others suffered severe psychological trauma; even if they no longer piloted mechas, they would experience intermittent splitting headaches. Some would uncontrollably convulse, collapse, or even violently vomit at the mere sight of animals with hard shells. These people would live the rest of their lives under the shadow of post-traumatic stress from the war.

Those four years of war had made Light’s nature become even more reticent. It was not that time had numbed his feelings, but that words were too powerless in the face of life and death.

And it was precisely because he witnessed first hand those tragedies that he was so opposed to Mu Chen applying to a military academy.

Entering a military academy meant having another identity—a soldier. Unlike citizens, they shouldered responsibilities that couldn’t be shirked and were aware of being ready to go to the front line at any time.

Light had watched Mu Chen grow up, so he doted on this little merman to the point that he would feel distressed even if he had a small cut on his hand, not to mention the grueling, round-the-clock training at the military academy, and even the possibility of going to the front line in the future.

These were things he didn’t even want to think about.

Light lifted his gaze to look at Mu Chen, his voice deep as he spoke, “Military schools aren’t what you think they are, it’s no joke there.”

“I never meant to fool around.” Mu Chen earnestly gazed into his eyes. “Is Gege worried that I’m not capable enough to adapt to military life? But I was admitted through the formal selection and assessments of the military academy. If those people outside are qualified, I am qualified as well.”

“It’s not that.”

Light furrowed his eyebrows—he didn’t understand why Mu Chen had such a thought, just like how he didn’t understand why Mu Chen wanted to enter a military academy. “Didn’t we agree on this when you applied to Capital University? Why did you suddenly change your mind? Is it because you don’t like the mechanical theory major? After you get in, you can also change to another major. There are many choices in a comprehensive university, and there will always be…”

Mu Chen interrupted him, “What if my aspiration doesn’t lie there?”

“You said I hid it from you, but aren’t you also hiding something from me, Gege? …The problem at the border is probably more complicated than what you told me, right?”

Light was stunned for a moment, seeming to be wondering how Mu Chen knew about this. “You applied to a military academy for this reason? For a chance to prove yourself?”

“No.”

“I’m not doing this to prove anything to anyone. I’m not a child anymore, Gege.” Having said that, Mu Chen suddenly grabbed Light’s hand and pressed it against his own chest.

Light’s eyes were slightly startled; the feeling under his palm was burning hot, and through the thin layer of fabric, he could also feel the other party’s deafening heartbeat.

Afterward, he heard the person in front of him say—

“I know Gege has always treated me as someone who needs to be protected, just like my title as the “Pearl of the Oz Empire,” but I also want to learn how to grow on my own. I have things I want to protect. Twelve years ago, I witnessed with my own eyes as the Zergs killed all my people, and I had no choice but to flee. So this time, I hope I can have a choice. Rather than being a pearl that needs to be protected, I want to be a sharp blade that can be unsheathed.”

Staring at the pair of blue eyes that were full of expectation, Light’s pupils trembled, and there was a flash of hesitation in his eyes, but in the end he said firmly, “You can have your own opinion, but entering the military academy…you can’t.”

The atmosphere fell silent again.

Mu Chen slowly put down Light’s hand, then walked a step forward toward Light.

“Gege is a general, the highest commander at the base. Using your authority, removing me from the military academy’s admission list would only take a single word from you. But are you really going to do this? Even though you know this is what I want, and you know how hard I fought for this opportunity, is Gege still going to take this from me?”

Light shifted his eyes to avoid Mu Chen’s insistent gaze, his fingertips that hung at his sides clenched subconsciously. He pursed his thin lips and said nothing, his eyebrows becoming increasingly gloomy.

Just as he thought the solemn atmosphere was going to continue—

“Actually, there is a way.”

The youth’s clear voice suddenly resounded in his ears.

“Even if I were to defeat all those people outside, I wouldn’t be able to obtain Gege’s approval. In that case, why don’t you have a duel with me in person? If I lose, I’ll take the initiative to give up applying to the military academy, and I’ll never think about it again in the future.”

Light turned his head in slight surprise, and was met by those smiling eyes—

“Rather than using your privilege to erase my name, why doesn’t Gege personally teach me a lesson and make me face reality in this way, huh?”

“…”

“Okay.”

……

Inside the empty arena, the two ready men walked onto the ring.

Light stood across from Mu Chen, changing his clothes to the same tight-fitted T-shirt as Mu Chen.

The black T-shirt looked no different from an ordinary training uniform, but in fact, its fabric surface was embedded with many small raised discs. These discs could only be felt when pressed with the fingertips. These small discs were sensors. Whenever an opponent hit a scoring area, the sensors assigned points based on the force of the strike and the importance of the target area. The first person to accumulate 15 points would win.

This outfit really accentuated Light’s outstanding figure; the snug fabric outlined his gracefully coiled muscles and slim waist. Looking from the side, the slightly inward curve of the spin could be seen, and the line of the lower back was full and smooth.

But Mu Chen didn’t have the heart to appreciate the scenery in front of him at the moment. After all, looking at those amber eyes that exuded a biting chill, it could be seen that Light was serious this time and determined to stop him from entering the military academy.

Unlike that group of inexperienced newbie freshmen, he was now facing the Imperial General reverently known as the “Flying Eagle” who had set the highest kill record.

With a ding, the scoring screen lit up and the match officially began.

Mu Chen threw a punch tentatively, but when he got closer, the other party blocked it with his outstretched hand. Their gazes met, their deep eyes reflecting a strong desire to win.

The instant Light blocked his attack, he switched from defense to offense, with each move targeting critical scoring points.

There were only a few afterimages left in front of Mu Chen’s eyes. He dodged the punch that brushed past his temple, pursing his lips slightly, and a flickering light ignited in his pupils…

Quite fast.

Light’s explosive power was not as good as the big guy Glass who usually boxed with him, but rather, it was like a precision instrument that never revealed its flaws. His eagle-like sharp eyes would not miss any mistake of his opponent.

During the few minutes the two exchanged blows, the scoreboard at the sidelines kept on beeping.

Tick, tick.

Sweat dripped down Mu Chen’s angular jawline. He glanced at the scoreboard above his head, which showed “10:5.”

Light scored 10, while he scored 5.

If he continued to fight like this, he would most likely lose…

Light was fighting relatively calmly.

After the first four exchanges, he could pretty much judge Mu Chen’s attack and defense patterns, including whether the other party could dodge his attacks, so he scored just enough points each time.

His goal was to finish this match as quickly as possible while ensuring that Mu Chen was not hurt.

As he was thinking—

Light struck at Mu Chen’s wrist, then followed up with a sweeping kick aimed at the left of Mu Chen’s waist.

With the other party’s reaction ability, he could definitely block this kick, but Mu Chen would have to concentrate on defending his left waist, which would leave an opening on his other side. After keeping a distance, he only needed to take advantage of this gap to score another five points to end the match.

However, in the next second, a situation that was completely opposite of what Light had expected occurred.

Not only did Mu Chen not dodge, he even met the hit straight on.

His pupils reflected the sharp military boot that was like a sword hilt, but he didn’t even think about dodging. After all, he could only get two points at most for striking the waist, but the neck and shoulders might get him five points.

Light was indeed like a flawless precision instrument, making it impossible to find any weaknesses in his seamless offense and defense…

If so, then he might as well give up on defense.

Mu Chen’s unexpected action caused Light to unconsciously raise a brow. If it continued on like this, this kick would no doubt hit Mu Chen’s ribs, and it wouldn’t be just a superficial injury anymore.

He knew getting injured in a fight was inevitable, but Light still hesitated at the crucial moment. He was in a rush to control his strength, which caused his center of gravity to shift completely to the other side.

This was certainly a huge loophole left for the opponent to exploit.

Mu Chen found an opening to wrap his arms around Light’s waist.

Consequently, Light lost his balance and fell back, his back hitting the soft cushion of the ring. He felt Mu Chen’s fingertips groping along the raised disc on his back, and his pupils couldn’t help but tremble. He unconsciously gritted his teeth, and the taut blue veins on the side of his neck were faintly visible. If Mu Chen had directly attacked the scoring point in a fighting manner, it would be nothing, but this kind of tingling sensation that was neither light nor heavy was the most deadly.

Mu Chen’s fingertips touched Light’s smooth waist and finally stopped just shy of his spine…

Tick! Tick! Tick!

It was the sound of the scoreboard’s continuous counting.

Immediately afterwards—

Ding!

The red light lit up signalling the end of the match.

Mu Chen let go of Light, then stood up from the floor with a smile. “I won, Gege.”

He bent down and extended his hand toward Light, his eyes curved. “Gege clearly knew this match would determine if I could enter the military academy, so why did you go easy on me?”

Light combed back the scattered hair on his forehead. He silently got up from the floor without uttering a word.

“Is Gege mad?” Seeing Light ignore him, Mu Chen approached him and blinked. “Is it because of the way I scored at the end?”

Light was indeed angry, but it wasn’t because of the match’s outcome, nor did it have anything to do with the manner of Mu Chen’s scoring.

In the match just now, Light witnessed Mu Chen’s extreme and reckless combat style, and such a style was impossible for him to practice and develop alone.

Light didn’t know what Mu Chen had been doing behind his back in the past two years.

Light couldn’t imagine just how many injuries he had suffered during his absence.

In front of him, Mu Chen would always look well-behaved and unable to tolerate even a minor grievance, but his actions behind the scenes seemed very contradictory.

Actually, this contradictory behavior could already be glimpsed when the merman was young. When Mu Chen was injured when he first entered the palace, he always had the habit of telling Light, “I’ll be fine soon.” But at some point, every time Mu Chen saw Light, even for the smallests bruise, he would act spoiled and throw himself into Light’s arms seeking comfort. At this time, Light thought Mu Chen had finally learned to rely on others, and he was pleased with this change, even if this dependence seemed a bit overly delicate.

But now, Light suddenly realized that Mu Chen’s behavior might just be an act meant for him to see.

Even though Mu Chen used some unconventional tricks to win the match, he didn’t get angry.

What made Light angry was that he treated the merman as a treasure that needed to be cherished, yet Mu Chen never seemed to care about his own body.

……

For the first time, Mu Chen’s coquettish act was being ignored.

Not only did Light not answer, he deliberately turned his head away to avoid his gaze.

Seeing that he really was going to ignore him, Mu Chen drooped his eyes. He swung his long legs and sat down on the edge of the ring, pressing his ribs in a supposedly inadvertent action. “It hurts…”

As he said this, he reached out his hand to lift his shirt, only to see a blue-green bruise on the side of his abdomen, which should have been left from a previous fight with someone else.

It wasn’t anything serious, merely a superficial injury that would heal on its own after two days, but it was particularly eye-catching on his fair skin.

Light noticed the bruise, his lips tightened, and his eyes became more solemn. He was silent for a moment. Then, he found a tube of ointment from the first-aid kit next to him and handed it to Mu Chen.

“Apply the ointment.”

He clearly knew that Mu Chen did it on purpose for him to see, but he still couldn’t help but feel bad for him.

Mu Chen glanced at the ointment placed beside him, still sitting at the edge of the ring impassively, then looked straight at Light. “But it’s not convenient for me to apply the ointment myself. Can Gege help me?”

Hearing his drawn-out, coy tone, Light clenched his fingertips that hung by his side and almost subconsciously agreed, but…

The bruises that clearly didn’t look like a meagre pinch mark, the desperate fighting style in the ring, and the injuries at this moment…

The memories of all those moments where he disregarded his own body came flooding back.

Light’s eyes darkened completely.

The silence reigned over the atmosphere for a while.

Mu Chen watched as Light walked up to him step by step, and just when he thought the other party was going to apply the ointment—

Light reached out and pinched Mu Chen’s soft cheeks, forcing him to look up into his eyes.

After doing this, he turned and left without a backward glance.

Mu Chen reeled in a smile as he watched Light’s retreating figure.

It seems Gege is truly angry this time.